Shahbaz Bhatti murder: Bail granted to main accused Umer Abdullah
The ATC earlier reserved the decision over the bail plea of Umer in Shahbaz Bhatti murder case.
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – The Islamabad’s anti-terrorism court (ATC) has granted bail to Umer Abdullah, the main accused in the murder case of former federal minister for minority rights, Dunya News reported on Friday.
The decision was earlier reserved by an ATC judge Atiqur Rehman. The court also ordered to submit a surety bond for Rs 0.1million. Abdullah had confessed to the murder of Shahbaz Bhatti before Islamabad police. He was injured when he was arrested by the police and the intel agencies from a private hospital. Umer Abdullah was arrested on the accusation of links with Al-Qaeda.
The accused was already on bail in reference to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Prosecutor, Chaudary Zulfiqar’s murder trial.
Shahbaz Bhatti who had been an activist for the minority rights and quite an outspoken critic of the Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan was killed by assassins on 2 March 2011, later identified as members of Al-Qaeda. He was the only Christian in Pakistan’s cabinet. Extremist entities had already been hauling Bhatti since 2009 subjecting him to threats, which gained pace owing to his support for Asia Bibi who had been sentenced to death in 2010. Threats included pamphlet directing him to stay away from the case or else he would have to suffer adverse consequences. “Pamphlets are dropped in my office warning me to disassociate myself from the case. You freed Rimsha, now you are trying to convict our comrades, you should be taught a lesson” he informed.
Being constantly under the shadow of jeopardy, Bhatti already knew that his days have been counted. He, therefore, vowed in a speech four months prior to his death that he would not stop speaking for marginalized Christians and other minorities quoting “I will die to defend their rights. These threats and these warnings cannot change my opinions and principles.”
Bhatti was killed while leaving his residence at I-8 in 2011. He was to travelling alone with his driver when the assassins opened gunshots on the car. 25 bullets were fired and he died at the spot. Suspects had been taken into custody and interrogated while the accused Umer Abdullah admitted to the murder and so was being trialed in court.
After Bhatti was gunned down, his brother Paul Bhastti took up the responsibility but soon had to leave the country in wake of the threats he too was receiving.
Pakistan has previously experienced a similar murder incident in the same year on January 4, when Former Governor Punjab Salman Taseer was shot dead by his own guard outside a café in Islamabad. Taseer, had also stepped forward in support of Asia Bibi maintaining a stance that the blasphemy Law in Pakistan is being misused. Bhatti joined Taseer’s camp later.
Salman Taseer was adamant that law needs amends and that the government should ensure the security of the minorities who are exposed to a constant threat due to the law. He had appeared in a conference to publicly register his support to Asia Bibi.
Sources say that the government had distanced itself from the issue leaving them both isolated and expressing that it does not intend to amend the law. Ali Dayan Hasan of Human Rights Watch said Bhatti's death represented "the bitter fruit of appeasement of extremist and militant groups both prior to and after the killing of Salmaan Taseer".
With a 97 percent population of Muslims, blasphemy is an extremely sensitive issue and committing blasphemy can carry a death penalty.
